decorating – whether in-line during production or once the product is on the tray.


Q: What do you think are the most important production considerations for bakeries producing artisan bread? Marion Montillot: It is important to remember that a premium product also requires premium quality ingredients, which means higher costs, so consistency within the production process is important to avoid high value product waste. To


meet the market demand, artisan


bread producers need to manage the specific constraints of the dough. Artisan bread, for example, usually has a highly hydrated dough that can be difficult to divide and shape due to its stickiness. Our divider and the moulders for artisan bakeries have therefore been designed to limit flouring. This avoids over-flouring to ensure good colouration and a shiny and thin crust. The divider also limits oil consumption and does not produce any trim. Dough pieces that may be out of weight can also be reused at the mixing stage, helping to reduce waste.


Stefan Praller: Handling dough the right way can be a challenge. Every dough will have its very own set of rules, and so producing the finest baked goods at consistently high quality is an art in itself.


The trend towards breads made from


soft doughs with pre-proofing times of up to 24 hours, and often a high rye content, poses major production challenges. To be able to produce as many different products as possible at consistently high quality, a production line has to be easy to retool, easy to clean, and ready to expand if necessary. For many lines, processing soft doughs requires adding greater amounts of separating agents like oil, for example, to be able to make the dough sheet as true to weight and shape as possible. However, increasing the amount of oil can have a negative impact on the final product. Also, the effort of cleaning increases, and so do downtimes when changing products. For this reason, FRITSCH suggests the use of a special dough sheeter for processing bread doughs which sees a system of fold-up belts flouring the dough sheet from all sides – which means there is no need to use oil at all.


Melanie Gay, Marketing Manager at VMI: I think that careful process management and


bakeryproduction.co.uk


Arjan Eberwijn: Producing artisan bread is not about a single key factor; it is the combination of all the elements that makes the difference and I believe that the key to producing artisan bread products is having an in-depth knowledge about the product as well as


the production process. When


essential to successfully develop a good flavour and texture, as well as a lasting shelf life of the finished product.


VMI has worked to optimise the shape of


its mixing tools and tanks, which are specific to premixing, kneading, and fermentation. We have ensured that there is very limited increase in dough temperature during mixing, and this is made possible thanks to the design and construction of tool shape, diameter and position inside the mixing bowl. The biggest


improvement in artisan bread product quality may not necessarily


transitioning from a traditional manual artisan process to an automated solution – typically involving higher volumes and faster speeds – modifications are necessary to adapt to the new way of working. At our experience centres, based in Chicago and the Netherlands, we have bakery technologists on hand to provide guidance on production processes and their impact on the final product. There are also practical points that need to be taken into account. For example, when producing with a Radini bread line, a minimum dough batch needs to be considered. It typically requires batches of around 50kg of dough, yielding a specific number of products depending on factors such as weight, size, and shape.


Kennedy’s Bakery Production February/March 2025 17


FRITSCH can offer a dough sheeter which sees a system of fold-up belts flouring the dough sheet from all sides, so there is no need to use oil.


food hygiene are key considerations for the successful production of artisan bread, a process which integrates liquid preferments and sourdough. Making artisan bread will, typically, require less processing when compared to the typical pre-packaged supermarket loaves. For this reason, bakers should be aiming for a highly hydrated dough with reduced mixing time. The addition of yeast and preferments increases the preparation phase of the dough and makes the mixing process more complex, so careful management of the mixing process is


come from the mixing process itself, but rather from optimising the management of the overall production process. This could require the introduction of greater flexibility for dough transport – for example by using automated guided vehicles (AGVs) which can provide greater flexibility by reducing physical workloads and addressing recruitment challenges. Compared to automated shuttles, which are highly efficient but require a secured environment and offer less flexibility, AGVs provide a more adaptable solution.


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